12 YEARS A SLAVE is based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Michael Fassbender) as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (Brad Pitt) forever alters his life.

"A film this good, and this quietly distinctive in its style, is always welcome."

--Michael Phillips,Chicago Tribune

"12 Years a Slave is easily the greatest feature film ever made about American slavery."

--David Denby,New Yorker

"The genius of "12 Years a Slave" is its insistence on banal evil, and on terror, that seeped into souls, bound bodies and reaped an enduring, terrible price."